DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had advocated for the rights of States while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, has now, after assuming the office of PM, deprived States of their rights.
“PM Modi does not like the words, (in the Constitution) ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.’ He wants to destroy the States or reduce them to the status of municipalities,” Mr. Stalin, alleged in the third episode of his podcast, ‘Speaking for India’.
The DMK leader said it would not be an exaggeration to say the BJP government at the Centre was mutilating the world’s largest democracy while seeking to establish a unitary leadership and a Prime Minister with unitary powers. “The worst act [of the BJP government] is interfering with the subject of education in States, and playing with the future of students. Each State has a unique culture, traditions, ideas, and the National Education Policy [NEP 2020] of the BJP government seeks to destroy all of this. It will take 10 episodes [of my podcast] to explain the BJP’s attempt to take away the rights of States,” he contended.
Reiterating that State autonomy alone could protect States from the onslaught of the Union government, Mr. Stalin said former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has constituted a committee headed by Justice P.V. Rajamannar, to strengthen State autonomy, and got a resolution in support of State autonomy adopted in the T.N. Legislative Assembly. The resolution, he said, advocated independent functioning of State governments that were closely working with the people, and also urged the Centre to accept the recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee and amend the Constitution to ensure State autonomy and a federal government at the Centre.
Recalling then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s words, “These are important issues and we intend to consult all the Chief Ministers,” Mr. Stalin said the idea of State autonomy and a federal government at the Centre become an important slogan of the DMK and it was echoed by leaders such as Sheik Abdulla (of the National Conference) and Jyoti Basu (CPI-M).
Mr. Stalin alleged that the BJP government however, was bent on creating a dictatorial government as desired by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and it was not ready to respect States and run a government as per the Constitution. He said if the States ruled by the opposition parties were able to implement a lot of welfare schemes even though the Centre was not allowing them to function and using Governors against the State governments, all States would flourish if a government that respects federal principles, was at the Centre.
The CM said the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc needed to come to power at the Centre in order to ensure victory for State autonomy. “People should be prepared for this. They should treat the forthcoming Assembly elections in five States as mini Lok Sabha polls, and vote accordingly. Hand over India to the I.N.D.IA. bloc. Let us protect States, and [the whole of] India,” he said.
